Holder for towels and similar articles



April 18, 1950 A. w. WELLINGTON 2,504,910

HOLDER FOR TOWELS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed Nov. 2, 1946 Inventor Alba/f Ml/lam @l/igfion Patented Apr. 18, 1950 HOLDER FOR TOWELS AND SHWILAR ARTICLES Albert William Wellington, Somerville, Mass., assignor of one-half to Nora Josephine Wellington, Somerville, Mass.

Application November 2, 1946, Serial No. 707,501

I The present invention relates to a multiple purpose holding clip which is expressly adapted for accommodating and suspending towels, but

2 Claims. (Cl. 211-89) is equally well adapted to be used as a holder for handkerchiefs, stockings and various and miscellaneous articles of apparel, and for such other purposes as may be found appropriate by users.

An object of the invention, interpreted in general terms, is to, structurally, functionally and otherwise improve upon and reduce the number ,of elemental parts entering into the completed adaptation, thereby not only increasing the ef-' ficiency of the structure as awhole, but rendering same less costly 'to the manufacturer, and consequently acceptably adaptable in supplying the needs and requirements of retailers and users alike;

In addition to the above, and considering the precise form of the invention adopted as a preferred embodiment, it will be found that the chosen structure lends itself adaptably to commercially satisfactory and efiicient use under practically all conditions and circumstances and ,therefore fulfills a long felt need for the production and provision of a clip which is aptly fitted to attain the ends sought.

Considered more specifically and from a structural' point of view, novelty is predicated upon a miscellaneous article accommodation and retaining clip, said clip fashioned from a single length of appropriate steel and being bent intermediate its ends to provide an attaching fixture and an associated bend forming a spring, the free ends of the limb portions being shaped and inter-related to provide spring gripping jaws such as fulfill the requirements of their purposes in providing secure grips, and, at the same time, allowing ready application and removal of the articles to be gripped and suspended.

In carrying out the principles of the invention, I have evolved and produced a unique spring metal clip which is possessed of requisite simplicity, durability, efiiciency and such other attending factors which make said clip a novel contribution to this line of endeavor.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a holder for towels and similar articles constructed in accordance with the present invention showing the manner in which it is used to grip and suspend a towel or the like; and;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken approximately on the plane of the line 2-2 of Figure 1, this looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the figures of the drawings by reference numeralsdistinguishing the variable portions of the device, and by way of introduction, it will be noted that said device is in the nature of a spring steel clip. As before intimated, it is fashioned from a single band of steel, said band being of a predetermined length and bent between its opposite end portions to define various co-acting features. In general make-up the clip is to be visualized as embodying a central fixture or attaching portion 5 and complemental horizontally disposable outstanding article accommodating and gripping jaws 6 and "l. The jaw Boccupies the distance from the bend 8 to the outwardly flared extremity 9, the limb portion of said jaw being rectilinearly straight, as at H]. The intermediate portion of the band extends downward and at right angles from the jaw 6 by the way of the bend 8 and provides the principal attaching leg H which is connectible to a wall or the like l2.

The attaching leg I l' joins the jaw l by way of an' outstanding bend l3 and an upright portion l4, said portions ll, l3 and Hi providing a U- shaped fixture with one leg constituting the at taching means and the other leg constituting the spring which provides the principal source of resiliency and renders said jaw l capable of adequate and proper co-action with the jaw 6. The jaw I is laterally disposed of the U-shaped part and joins the upright M by way of a bend [5. The outer end of said jaw l is flared outwardly as at l6 in divergent relation to the flared end 9. The portion just inward of the terminal is flat as at l! and opposed to the fiat or straight portion ID of the jaw 6. This makes the remainder 18 of the jaw a resilient adaptor which contributes to the spring means generally and which provides the necessary range of adjustment and co-action of said jaws, collectively speaking. There is a screw fastener 19 passing through the spring and attaching limb II and into the wall or other support I2. This constitutes the principal ways and means of securing the clip, as a unit, to the wall. A second fastening screw 20 is also employed and has its headed end passing through an enlarged opening 2| in the spring element l4 and then through a plain hole in the limb H and into the wall. It will be noticed that the hole 2| is a little larger than the shank of the screw so as to allow the necessary play between parts and the accommodation of the jaws one for the other.

Needless to say, I am sufilciently conversant with holding clips and equivalent brackets and fixtures to full well appreciate that the art to which the invention relates is highly well developed. By the same token, I am not unmindful that the invention which we are here concerned, being a single-piece article, is highly simple. Nevertheless, and despite the recognized activity of the prior art, I feel that no one prior to me has produced a clip which is quiteas-adaptable and advantageous as that herein ill'ufstrated and explicitly described. The clips already in use include adaptable jaw members and are sufiiciently resilient and pliant to handle most situations. Also, clips are on the market and use including attaching brackets with jaws at various angular positions contrasted to the attaching portions. In the instant situation, itfis to be noted "that I take strip .of metal andbend same intermediate its ends to provide a'iU-sfhap'ed portion. "One limb of the U is long as contrasted to the other limb, 't'hefirst named limb being attached to the wall or .other support and the first named limb being movable toward and from "it. Thus, we have a U -"s'ha ped spring embodied in an article gripping clip which spring ghas the additional function of an. attachingfloraclget and which, .profvid'ed'with the screw 20;,and enlarged screw hole 2| makes"ior adjustmentof the tension of the jaws 'toiputsame either close together or farther apart. "Due tothis adaptability and versatile na- 'ture'it is believed "that the cliphere'in under radvisementfisingenious and more 'aptly'iiulfills the requirements of an article in this category. I shall not, however, attempt to enumerate the various commercial aspects.

A careful consideration TOT theiforegoing description "conjunction with the finvention as illustrated in the "drawings willjerrable the Treader "to obtain a clear understanding and impression of the'allegedfeatures of merit andn'ovelty 'sufil c'ientto clarify the construction of V the invention as hereinafter claimed. H

Minor changes in shape;si2e;materials1andire arrangement "of 'partsmay bemesorte'd'to in ac- 4 tual practice so long as no departure is made from the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A holder for towels and similar articles comprising a suspending clip embodying a pair of horizontally disposable opposed jaws with outwardly flared and oppositely directed free terminials to facilitate *the insertionand placement of articles between the jaws, said jaws being in sub- .stantially spaced parallelism and having inner end portions connected with a vertically disposed Eu -shaped :p'arlt, :said U-shaped part including a relatively long limb adjacent to the wall or other support, said long limb being at right angles and connected to the inner end of one of said jaws and adapted to lie :in direct contact with a stationary support, and further including an outer shorter-limb, the latter limb being bendable toward-and from the first-named limb for jaw adjustment purposes.

1 2. .In .a multiple purpose miscellaneous article holding clip of the class described, ,a resilient s'trip'havingna rectiline'arly straightftopiaw with an outwardly flared extremity, afbottom jaw opposed to the/top jaw and having an outwardly iiared'extremity, and a vertical.Ueshapedjportion, the latter including spaced, ,para'llel long and short limbs, the inner Zend of fthefltjopjjaw being connected to the long ilinib and f'the'jinner end of the lower,jawbeingcounected to the fs'hoiit limb, and iscrews passing through said fliriibs for adjusting the tensionof the jaws arid for securing said u-shaped portion ton wall ,or the flik'e. whereby to dispose "saidQiaWsLat' right angles to said well. My

ALBERTWIIHAMWELHNGTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following teferences :are aof record in .the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES Nun'iber Name ,Date

'z ass'e fKelln'er INOV. s, 1902 $905854 Footie une.1 6,19 0s '1;478,209 Eaton "Dec. :18, 1 923 1,746,962 l erry l Fellini-1,1930 2,196,118 r an-eh--. "Apr. 2, 1949 2,415,517 *More'house "Fe'b."11 1947 

